Using Variax Jtv-89 For Hi-gain

I'm considering buying a Variax JTV-89 and I have a couple of questions I hope you guys can help me with.

First of all, I am more or less only interested in hi-gain stuff, and I will hook the guitar up with a Pod HD Pro. I will only use the guitar in studio.

So, what do you think about the idea of using this combination for hi-gain stuff? I think that the Pod HD is good enough but I really need a new guitar anyway and that's when I started thinking about the variax. I've read both good and bad things about using the variax for hi-gain but it's mostly rumors and not actual opinions.

How many models can actually give a good result for hi-gain?

Is it worth spending almost twice as much getting the 89F? What is the difference other than floyd-rose?